Illusion
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: After finding them at a blind date stand, Phoebe and Melanie join Yusuke and Kurama on a date.


I sighed, texting on my cellphone. My twin Melanie and I were at the Zoo with a group of our friends. Each of whom had a date.

It was a sunny if cold day in the outskirts of Hokkaido. I smiled as I heard the ducks quacking in the pond to our left. I loved ducks.

That's when my twin elbowed me. "Phoebe! Look!"

She was pointing to a pink booth. It was labeled 'free blind dates.'

The two of us exchanged glances. It was the perfect opportunity to irritate some unfortunate boys.

We got out of line and walked over. "Hey there."

There were a couple of girls standing there, but the boys in the booth were obviously from the city, not the countryside. Mel and I were in uniform from college, as this was an after school jaunt, and she had her hair tied back while mine was worn loose.

"I get it, more girls come to laugh at us," the dark haired one said. I could easily sense his anger.

"Not really," I said softly. "Everyone in our group has a date. We'd like to have some dates too. So. Why don't we do this."

The brown eyed boy blinked at me and then stood. "I'm Yusuke Urameshi."

"Nice to meet you, Urameshi-kun," I said and bowed. "So is this a fundraiser or what? Are you going to try to sell me something? And do you have a date for my sister?"

"I think she's way ahead of you," Yusuke said and pointed out that Mel and the red-haired boy had been talking for a while now. "That's my friend Shuichi Minamino. She'll be safe with him."

"Well that's cool," I said, and headed to the ticket booth, paying deliberately for my ticket. "So why go on a blind date?"

Yusuke put a hand on my shoulder as I went through the gate. "Why did you pay for your own ticket?"

"Because I don't believe in fairy tales, Urameshi-kun," I replied sharply. "Now answer my question. I can easily tell that you don't want to be here and you'd much rather be somewhere…else."

I stopped there. I could sense demon energy coming from him. I took the ring on my right-hand finger and turned it so the stone faced inward so he could not see it. No need for him to see my Hiruseki stone. It wasn't mine; it was my mother's. But that was another story.

"No," Yusuke said. "There's nowhere else for me right now."

I sighed. Another liar. His emotions were all over the place, but I did sense one thing seriously out of whack. And that was his spirit and demon energy. They were comingled.

So, the Reikai Tentai have come here, I thought, smirking to myself. And this Urameshi is the Mazaku of legends. But..shouldn't he be in the Makai making a mess or something?

"Quack!" said a little duckling waddling by my feet. They were loose on zoo grounds, and it had probably gotten my distress call a mile away.

"Hey there," Yusuke said, kneeling down and getting a cracker out of his pocket. He put the cracker in his hand and soon had the little girl-duck nibbling out of his hand.

He sure doesn't act like a human-eating demon. He's not vicious. Or mean. He's actually gentle. What the hell?

I knelt down next to him. "Her name's Jinx. The zoo says she's magic because no matter where she is, all the other animals are nice to her. She's my best friend."

Jinx realized that Yusuke had no more food for her and tilted her head at me, saying. "What are you doing with this guy?"

"Just a friendly human date." I replied telepathically to the demoness.

"But that's the Mazaku," Jinx said. "Are you sure it's safe? Isn't he our superior?"

"What's she saying about me?" Yusuke asked jokingly.

I laughed a bit. "I was just deep in thought, Urameshi-kun. Sorry."

I started to get up, but he put a hand on my arm. "Hey do you want to feed her?"

I shook my head and stood. "She's full. Wanna go look at some snakes and bugs?"

I was pointing to the Reptile House. Yusuke looked at me weirdly. "You aren't like most girls."

"You're hardly ordinary yourself, Urameshi-kun," I replied solemnly, dragging him inside. "Let's go meet your relatives."

"What do you mean, 'relatives?'" Yusuke asked in an irritated way.

"Well, cuz men are snakes," I replied. "That's what my Mom used to say."

Yusuke stopped and looked at me. "What do you mean 'used to say?'"

I sighed. "Now now, let's save something for the second date, Urameshi-kun."

"Who said anything about a second date?" he asked teasingly.

"Well, you don't have to say it," I replied. "It's all in the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking. You've been checking me out."

"Hey!" he said in protest. "Well you've been staring at me too! So what now?"

"What do you mean, 'what now?'" I yelled back. "We're on a date! Don't tell me you don't have a plan beyond this?"

He put a hand behind his head. "Uh...well no, I usually just wing it."

"So," I sighed. "You had no plans for a second date?"

"Well no," he replied.

"Well what kind of demon master plan is this?" I sighed, disappointed. "I mean, let's cut to the chase, you could probably kill all these people. If you wanted. So why not?"

"Because I'm half human," Yusuke said. "Now how did you know? What are you? I didn't sense demon energy."

I laughed. "I'm like you I guess, Mazaku boy. It's a very complicated story. But I was once an A-Class demon, and then I became a human. Now my human and demon energies have mingled so much that I have become an Elemental."

"What's that?" Yusuke asked.

"It's a job," I replied. "I can speak to water and turn into a duck."

"I don't believe that," replied Yusuke.

"Well like I said," I muttered. "Save something for the second date. But…"

I leaned in close and kissed his cheek. "Enjoy your day Urameshi-kun. "

"Hey!" he yelled after me as I headed for my Vespa. "Call me Yusuke!"

"On the second date, maybe!" I yelled back.

About an hour previous, Melanie Mizuko, my twin, had been set up with Shuichi Minamino. She smiled at him, trying not to blush as he was very attractive with his red hair and green eyes.

"Hello," Melanie said shyly. "I am Melanie Mizuko. Nice to meet you."

Shuichi bowed slightly to her. "I am Shuichi Minamino. Is it possible we have met before?"

Melanie shook her head. "No."

The two of them walked up the bridge to where the giraffe's neck stretched so that anyone could feed him.

She smiled a little. "Look at how tall he is. Hey Shuichi, here you go."

She handed him half a cracker. He looked surprised. "Have you lived here in Hokkaido your whole life?"

Melanie nodded. "Yes. Me and Imoto-chan. Our parents died two years ago."

"Oh," Shuichi looked directly into her eyes, not wavering a moment. "That's very said, Melanie."

Melanie broke the gaze, laughing a little. "No need to be so formal, Shuichi. Call me 'Mel.'"

"Ah…" Shuichi looked confused a moment. "Are you certain I haven't met you once before?"

Melanie smiled. "Unless you've been to Hokkaido before on a vacation. Anyway, Imoto-chan already left, so I'd better get going."

She put her hood back up and turned to go but Shuichi caught her hand gently. "Ask your sister to double with us on a second date. Since you two never do anything apart from one another."

Melanie felt the air leave her lungs for a split second as she was close to him, and his hand was on hers, but then he quickly let go, and the moment was gone, allowing her to regain her composure. "Yes. She'll love that. I think she likes torturing that Urameshi kid."

I flopped over on my bed, ice blue eyes staring at the fluorescent light in our dorm room. "So Nee-san. How was it?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, chugging a root beer from the mini-fridge.

"I mean," I said, flopping upside down. "Was it Yoko Kurama like we thought? We've been scoping out the Reikai Tentai for months, hoping for an excuse to find out if the rumors about Shuichi Minamino in the Dark Tournament were true, and they show up out of the blue. What are the odds?"

Mel threw the can away. "That's why I'm suspicious. What if it's a demon plot? It wouldn't be the first time demons got creative, and with the upheaval in the Makai—"

"Yes, about the new Mazaku," I responded. "Yusuke. I sensed him the entire time we were together. He's the strangest thing I've ever seen. Purely demon…purely human."

"Like us?" Mel asked, raising an eyebrow. "You aren't falling for him are you? You know that was just a blind date right?"

"Ugh…" I groaned. "You sound like Jinx."

"That wacko Elemental friend of yours?" Mel asked, moving me over so she could sit down. "The one that got stuck in duck form? That's gonna be you one day y'know."

"Shut up!" I said, throwing a sock at her.

"Oi!" Mel yelped, throwing it back.

There was a lag in the conversation as Mel turned on the TV and started watching Criminal Minds.

"So," I asked. "When's the next date?"

Mel sighed. "Next Saturday."

I jumped up and cheered, and Mel stared at me; annoyed as hell.


End file.
